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Penboyn
Population: 4.4 million. Kingdom controlling Suadan, the north coast of Belandria and a number of islands in the Inner Sea, among those Beradir, Akunar, Bahiri and Sendiri. The capital is Latislav, and Kangrisorn, Vintendra and Losada are Penboynian too. Penboynians are known to be friendly but firm. They regard law and order highly and pride themselves in their principles of knighthood and nobility. To become a Penboynian knight it is not enough to be noble, but one must deserve it (cf. the Brotherhood of Doom). In many respects Penboyn is the leading nation around the Inner Sea, and accordingly the Penboynians demand respect from its neighbors. The kingdom has established the Kangrisorn Guard to ensure that everyone, including Ontainians, who wish to pray to their god at Kangrisorn, may do so. The king of Penboyn is Shaun IV Duneval, and Vahaun is the dominant deity of the country. Maps II-s and V . History: The history of Penboyn traditionally starts in 127, but may be said to have begun both earlier and later. Later because the name Penboyn is thought to be much younger, earlier because Penboyn more than any other country carries the legacy of the Third Empire . Penboyn does consider itself one of the Successor States. Around the year 120, Suana was invaded by an alliance of barbarians probably of Belandrian origin (the Viresu), and nomads from eastern Bandagora (the Toro). In 125 this alliance sacked Suada, and the Suadan Empire surrendered soon after. At the time, the country was still known as Suana or Suadan, and the barbarians merely seemed to be the new ruling class on top of the old order. Circa 145 a minor uprising resulted in King Randu's purge of the nomads that still wanted to keep on the move. These nomads were to a small extent replaced by immigrants from the area corresponding to present-day Falandria. The new kings had recurring problems making the country stay in one piece. The Imperial Suadan knight had been a wealthy land owner, who took care of his own local region with regards to law and order, art, temples and infrastructure. Opposed to that the new barbarian war caste felt only one obligation, to endanger their lives in times of war. King after king tried in vain to bestow responsibilities upon the war caste in times of peace. Landau the Great partially solved the problem around 300. He took advantage of the dissolution of the Island Concord to wage a naval war on numerous minor islands. After having conquered an island, the warlords were not returned to shore before they swore to behave like nobility modeled after the Salaqi feudal principles. Though basically successful, the reform of Landau needed many battles to take full effect. For a century and a half, civil war constantly threatened breaking out, meanwhile the kings reinstated most of the institutions dating back from the time of the Third Empire. The present order was finally affirmed by Celimesh III around 467, here the name Penboyn is used, some say for the first time, and claim that the name is inspired by Pendragon, the legendary Pandesan knight. Before Celimesh III's reign his elder brother Stephan the Unready had dealt the war caste a mortal blow by his blundering invasion of Servania . From 560 to 660 Penboyn was overrun twice. First and least by vikings, the so-called Belmans, later and much more devastatingly by the Iluvar. To counter similar events in the future, Penboyn developed a defensive strategy that meant surrounding itself by outlying duchies, and then be ready to come to the assistance of those duchies. Hardnit, Sharuna, Donara and Vesland were buffer zones seen from Penboyn. Some historians feel that Penboyn has a right to see themselves as the battlefield of Bandagora, at least Suadan and Kangrisorn in particular have seen battles crucial to the future of not just Penboyn, but all the countries around the Inner Sea (see the Nomad Invasions, the Kangrisorn Wars or the Troll Wars). The four areas are independent kingdoms today, and all have strong ties to Penboyn. Present-day Penboyn relies not so much upon obedience as upon respect from these countries and the other countries surrounding the Inner Sea. Legal system. In Penboyn only the noble are protected by the laws. In each shire the local noble reigns supreme, only responsible to the king. This responsibility primarily concerns keeping law and order and maintaining an armed force. Procedures may vary greatly from place to place, but as a whole Penboynian nobles are considered just. If a noble commits a crime against another noble, he is entitled "judgment by his peers", that is a trial with a jury made up by other nobles. If a woman (noble or common) is accused of a serious crime by a man, she has the right to "trial by champion", that is to find someone who will duel the accuser. The outcome of the duel determines her guilt.